The embodiments of the present invention relate generally to technique including a method for providing a transparent backup service for networked computers.
As personal computers have become more and more pervasive into everyday work and personal life, users have entrusted their personal computers to store a growing percentage of their important information. This information, or ‘content,’ takes the form of data files consisting of correspondence, tax returns, spread sheets, presentations other documents, photographs, music files, and the like.
Over the past 15 years, the growing storage and processing capabilities of personal computers has allowed, and even invited, users to abandon the storage of hard-copy and offline documents in favor of on-line storage in their personal computers. Personal computers have also become very reliable, often lasting their entire useful life without data loss.
As a result, most personal computer users have not experienced data loss resulting from a hard drive crash, operating system problem, file corruption, and the like.
Nevertheless, the possibility of such loss exists, and many users are unaware of the potential vulnerability of their stored data.
Other threats to electronically-stored data exist as well, such as for example viruses, worms and other malicious programs that spread readily among Internet-connected personal computers.
Few users perform routine backups of their stored information. Even among those who do, there is growing complacency toward the need to perform them. Also, an increasing number of users are not technically savvy enough to back up their information, or even locate it within the file system of their computer.
Existing backup solutions require the user to copy files to an external storage medium such as CD/Data-DVD, an external device, or other hard-capacity data storage device. The backup process may be performed manually, or may be scheduled to be automatically performed at regular intervals; in either case, such backups require the user to manage media and take the appropriate steps when media fills up. On-line services exist, but require technical sophistication to use. Existing solution can be so complex that even an experienced user, such as a system administrator, can overwrite critical data files. Most importantly, for average computer users, the conventional solution provides little or no help at all in case of file loss. This file loss can be due to hard drive failure, operating system failure, malicious software execution, computer loss due to the theft or disaster, accidental erasure, or any other event that causes the original file to be unusable.
From the above, it is seen that a simple fault-tolerant solution is desired for the average computer user, possibly requiring little or no configuration or administration, to backup and restore critical files in case of file loss.